I am no fan of Daylight Saving Time, I say into the phone. If people want to go to bed later or get up earlier, or if businesses want to change their hours during the summer, let them do it, but leave the clocks alone.

Why do you feel that way? says my ever-patient, beloved wife, Marsha, who is off visiting our kids and grandkids.

Just common sense, I say. That and the Evil Thermostat.

Oh, that! says Marsha, knowing exactly what I am talking about.

The Evil Thermostat lives in our bathroom. A couple of years ago, we had a new tile floor installed. Marsha does not like to be cold. I do not like to be hot. Our bathroom has a register in it, so the furnace does a good job of keeping it warm. I was happy.

Getting a new tile floor required compromise, and that compromise meant that it WOULD have electric radiant heating. Period.

This added considerably to the cost of the new tile floor, as the floor people had more work to do; our wonderful electricians, Gus and Mike, had to add circuits and other mysterious stuff; and of course there was the cost of the grid itself, carefully laid beneath the tiles.

The system came with its own thermostat. We can program the floor to be warm for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. It is very nice for Marshas always-cold feet. Simple.

Indeed. Simple, if it were not for the Evil Thermostat.

1. The buttons are itsy bitsy.

2. The icons and legends describing the functions of said buttons are itsier and bitsier.

3. The manual that tells how to use the thing is teeny weensy.

4. The font of the print in said manual is teensier and weensier.

5. The directions, once photographed, enlarged and examined are non-intuitive. Indecipherable.

I obtained the phone number of the American company that imports the German thermostat and heating grid systems. When changes are needed say, upon travelling and needing to turn the system on and off a nice lady named Judy leads me through the steps to reprogram the thing.

This is not the end of the troubles, however.

Seeing our electric bill rocket upward after getting our new radiant floor, it occurs to me that since we normally keep the bathroom door open when not in use, the electric floor is trying to heat our whole house two hours every day.

Marsha, we need to keep that door closed all the time, I announce.

Right, she says.

We are human. We forget to close the door. The electric meter spins like a top.

No problem: While Marsha is out of town visiting our kids and grandkids, I install a pneumatic door closer. The door is now closed 100% of the time and the electric meter is back to normal. Success.

Then along comes Daylight Saving Time. I have to change the clock on The Evil Thermostat. I call Judy so she can lead me through the button-finding-and-pushing process.

Problem No. 1: With the bathroom door closed, I cant get a cellphone signal. No Judy, no program. Fortunately, Judy is patient as I leave the bathroom, get an instruction point, go back in, push a button, go back out, get another instruction point

Future Problem No. 2: Marsha, upon return, will have to learn to lean backward at a 30-degree angle to overcome the power of the pneumatic door closer.

Jim Whitehouse lives in Albion.

View post:
Looking Out: Daylight Saving Time adds to problems of the Evil Thermostat - The Daily Telegram

Can you imagine lounging in the McCormick House living room, hanging out with your friends playing a game of chess or putting on a puppet show in the childrens playroom? How about sneaking into the kitchen looking for treats? Well, now you can do all that courtesy of Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison, who are bringing their playful design approach into the 1952 historic landmark. The duo behind the design practiceCould Be Architecturewho are also architectural designers, educators, curators and writerstalks about their ideas and practices with Newcity design editor Vasia Rigou to shed light on the Elmhurst Museums McCormick AfterParti exhibition that has the Mies van der Rohe home turned into a frosted candylandcomplete with bright pink curtains and mint green furniture.

First things first: Can you talk about the title, McCormick AfterParti?

Parti refers to the basic diagram for an architectural design. This installation celebrates Mies van der Rohes floor plan for the historic McCormick House by arraying curtains and interpretive furnishings along the locations of the houses original wall partitions. The furnishings invite audience interactions and prompt participatory events throughout the run of the installationit hosts a party along the parti.

What kinds of boundaries do you feel youre pushing in your effort to turn the McCormick House into a home?

Our installation demonstrates a totally normative approach to restage the walls and programmatic functions of the original house. However, in its current state, the McCormick House operates somewhere between a historical home (as a museum piece) and a contemporary gallery space. Our project challenges both identities. By completing the incomplete or removed components of the house, the installation invites visitors to experience the space as a type of historical reenactment. At the same time, the shapely attitude of the feature furnishing pieces entices visitors to literally sit on, play atop and eat from the gallery content and questions the often hands-off expectations of an art exhibition.

Can you talk about the importance of color in your work?

We see colorspecifically bold and vibrant coloras an immediate signifier of joy. We position immersive, super-graphic fields of color to shape space and provoke character. Specifically within McCormick AfterParti, the choice of and use of color provides an exaggerated and playful counterpoint to the International Style material palette of the existing house. The minty green furnishings and bright pink curtain partitions complement and question the modern, neutral palette of dark wood floors, clear glass, white-painted steel and honey-colored wood panels that make up the existing building. We hope that our installations juicy color qualitiesthink watermelon-mint agua fresca!will tempt visitors to linger a little longer within this midwinter oasis of funky furniture pieces.

What was the biggest challenge you had to face bringing this exhibition to life within a historical space?

Our biggest challenge is grappling with and making accessible meaning and pleasure out of the complexity of histories represented by the building. Like so many other architects, we admire Mies van der Rohes canonical contributions to the advent of modern architecture. At the McCormick House, were inspired by the modernist approach to modularity, adaptability and clarity. At the same time, seventy years later, we believe that it remains important to question the values and politics embedded within its design, including the stark architectural separation between an adults wing and a childrens and servants wing. Our installation challenged us and challenges others to negotiate admiration and critique simultaneously. By reenacting the missing original walls, but then undermining their boundaries by positioning colorful furnishings that poke through them, we hope the installation engages audiences to similarly question the values within their own domestic spaces.

Your design approach is focused on creating seriously playful spaces, things and happenings that celebrate what your world could be. What do you hope the viewer will take away from this exhibition?

Candy. Really, we hope viewers will take away and enjoy small, tasty confections offered from the sink fixtures within our reenacted kitchen-counter installation. In a broader sense, we hope that visitors will question the physical and behavioral qualities that they may take for granted about their own houses and homesincluding furniture, color, shape and intimacy, and the overlap of all of these domestic ingredients.

What are you most excited about?

Were particularly excited to give license to visitors to inhabit a significant Mies van der Rohe-designed space in unexpectedly playful, hands-on and irreverent ways. Steel-and-glass modernist architecture often exudes a pristine, polite and perfectionist quality that we hope our installation will challenge by inviting people to get a bit goofy and make themselves at home, whether it involves lying down on a bed, playing with puppets in the playroom or sneaking a treat in the kitchen.

Could Be Architecture: McCormick AfterParti at the Elmhurst Art Museum through April 12

Greek-born Vasia Rigou is a Chicago-based art critic and pop culture journalist, largely on the subjects of contemporary art, design, and fashion. She moved to Chicago in 2013 to study Arts Journalism at the School of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC,) where she was awarded the New Artist Society Merit Scholarship. She grew up to appreciate art after years of carefully planned, culture-filled travel itineraries and museum-hopping around Europe with her family. During this time, she received a bachelors in English Literature, in her native Athens; a masters in Media, in Nottingham, UK; and studied foreign languagesEnglish, German, and Spanish at the University of Salamanca, Spain. Her writingreviewing museum exhibitions, gallery shows, art fairs, fashion shows, and music festivals among othershas been published nationally and internationally both in print and online. In 2017, she founded and now serves as editor-in-chief of Rainbowed.an independently published website focused on the visual and performing arts, digital media, and popular culture. When shes not writing about art or looking at artwine in hand, she keeps up with Chicagos creative entrepreneurial and startup community, makes lists for pretty much everything, drinks immense amounts of coffee and takes cross-country road trips every chance she gets.

Contact: hello@rigouvasia.com Website: http://www.rigouvasia.com

Continued here:
A Party Along the Parti: Could Be Architecture Transforms the McCormick House - Newcity Design

It's time to hit the galleries, as 22nd Biennale of Sydney is set to return from Saturday, March 14 through Monday, June 8. Sure, three months might sound like a lot of time, but this massive biennial showcase spans over 700 artworks and 101 artists from 65 different countries as well as several galleries across our city, from Campbelltown to Cockatoo Island.

The 2020 edition is entitled Nirin,which means 'edge' in the language of western NSW's Wiradjuri people. It is helmed by a new First Nations artistic director, famed Sydney-born, Melbourne-based interdisciplinary artist Brook Andrew. Andrew has selected an impressive lineup of artists and creatives many of them First Nations from around the world to exhibit at the Art Gallery of NSW, Woolloomooloo's Artspace, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Cockatoo Island, MCA and the National Art School for the exhibition's 12 weeks.

The showcase brings together artists from all over the globe, with fresh perspectives on Australia that span culture, gender and place. Expect installations, performances, sculptures, videos, paintings and drawings that examine what it means to be First Nations. Here are ten highlights that you can't miss.

Due to current concerns surrounding COVID-19, the Biennale has implemented precautionary measures at all its galleries, in line with advice from WHO and the NSW Department of Health. Venues are cleaned more frequently and hand sanitiser is readily available. It's also asking all visitors to practise good general hygiene and stay at home if they're feeling unwell. You can read its full statement and any updates over here.

Teresa Margolles' mixed-media installation Untitled is one of the most powerful and heart wrenching works of the entire Biennale. The Mexican artist's work acts as a memorial to murdered women and transgender women across both Mexico and Australia. Over 70 women were murdered in Australia last year alone. Untitled compiles acts of violence and trauma from several sites in each country with Sydney-specific sites included. Margolles collected particles from these murder scenes through sponging the area with water and collecting any particles or residue that remained.

The water collected from each site is used in the actual work, incorporated as droplets (each representing one life) that fall onto an electric copper hot plate in regular intervals. As you hear the water evaporate, it signifies the loss of a life, though every drop leaves a mark. Surrounding the installation is a blood-red butcher curtain, giving the entire scene an eerie edge. Margolles' work is a very visceral and emotive piece, with the viewer acting as witness to forgotten acts of violence.

Sydney-based photographer and Gomeroi/Murri/Yinah woman Barbara McGrady brings modern First Nations issues front-and-centre with her collaborative work, Ngiyaningy Maran Yaliwaunga Ngaara-li (Our Ancestors Are Always Watching). This Biennale installation acts as a photographic archive of McGrady's extensive work, which truly represents contemporary Aboriginal history. The artist aims to 'engage audiences with images through a black lens and document the diverse Aboriginal experience' across themes such as sports, song and dance, community, politics and protest.

The blacked-out room screens multi-channel audio-visuals across several large televisions, while R&B, rap and other culturally-specific music plays through the speakers. Black couches invite viewers to hang around and truly immerse themselves in the exhibition.

The massive Artspace installation by Collectivo Ayllu is a collection of 11 works, which together form a labyrinth-like exhibition of four 'stations' all up. The political action group, formed in Madrid in 2009, includes five artists from South America: Alex Aguirre Snchez (Ecuador), Leticia/Kimy Rojas (Ecuador), Francisco Godoy Vega (Chile), Lucrecia Masson (Argentina) and Yos Pia Narvez (Venezuela).

The work aims to critique western heteronormative values through the lens of the Spanish colonisation of the 15th and 16th centuries of which all of the Collective's members identify as descendants. This powerful installation tells the repeated and ongoing story of colonial pain and adds a contemporary lens to it. The floor of the entire winding exhibition is covered in sand, making reference to the images of colonisers landing on the beaches of South America and around the world. The artists have constructed the installation as an Andean huaca a fundamental Inca sanctuary or sacred place.

At AGNSW, the Biennale has been very appropriately integrated into the galleries on the ground floor, which primarily houses European art. This artistic decision forces the viewers to re-evaluate the history of art in Australia and the Euro-centric lens it often takes. Taking centre stage in the AGNSW Grand Courts is Retaule dels penjats (Altarpiece of the Hanged People) a prominent 1970s work by Spanish artist Josep Grau-Garriga. His three-storey textile installation truly takes over the space, reaching to the ceiling, and works as a direct dialogue with the architecture of the gallery. His three-dimensional woven characters are a hanging memorial to tormented and suffering victims of war and martyrdom, which the viewer is forced to address this massive installation literally cannot be missed.

A stunning work by the Yolu digital artists of The Mulka Project, Watami Manikay (Song of the Winds) will transport viewers to another time and place. The artist collective works with digital technologies and video art. This specific project weaves the kinship of Yolu clans through the four winds in the form of a three-walled, floor-to-ceiling video projection that moved from sunrise to sunset depicting lapping waves and sunny beaches. The focal point of the installation is a painted larrakitj (hollow ceremonial log), which represents the guna rock that grounds each clan to its identity. It changes colour and glows in time with the mesmerising film. The cyclical work aims to express the 'countless generations of evolving Yolu art practice'.

For artist Ahmed Umar's autobiographical work he created an earthenware tomb, one which is meant for him. The lid of the ancient-looking, ceramic sarcophagus includes a full body cast of Umar. It is part of a sculptural triptych that the artist created after opening up about his sexuality and being considered 'dead' by close family members. The tomb is both a reminder of the pain of oppression and a celebration of his death. This piece is a protest against his upbringing in Sudan, and Umar (dressed in traditional Sudanese clothing) also physically protests alongside the artwork (he'll appear at various times throughout the festival). He holds a sign that reads 'Sudan executes gay people under its government endorsement'. His form of protest creates a timely and meaningful piece of art that needs to be seen.

For Biennale 2020, Christchurch-based and Tongan-born artist Kulimoe'anga Stone Maka has created an expansive tapestry which nearly takes up an entire gallery floor at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The two-in-one painting re-enacts the meeting between Queen Salote of Tonga and the UK's Queen Elizabeth II, when the latter visited Tonga in 1953. The tap cloth depicts Maka's actual memory as a ten-year-old boy, with yellow barricades around the piece recalling the crowds on the day. His memory also includes seeing someone with blue eyes for the first time which you'll notice as blue dots on the tapa cloth. The artist's technique nods to the Tongan art of ngatu 'uli (black-marked bark cloth), which has a 'material connection to his homeland'. Through his work, Maka is simultaneously telling both a personal and global story of connection.

Tongan Australian artist Latai Taumoepeau's The Last Resort depicts an all-too-real dystopia where idyllic island landscapes have literally become garbage dumps. It specifically explores the vulnerability and fragility of the Pacific Island nations' saltwater ecosystems. Performer Taliu Aloua wears brick sandals and holds an 'ike (Tongan mallet), while surrounded by a wall of glass bottle-filled sacks. A sea bed of glass lays at her feet. She repeatedly (and very loudly) smashes the bottles with her feet and mallet, and adorns broken sacks in replace of a lei around her neck. This ongoing endurance performance acts as a response to the physical and emotional (as well as geo-political) labour of Pacific Island people against the agents of climate change. Their connection to the land and the true destruction happening to it is viscerally depicted here.

Smoan artist Luli Eshrgh created a peaceful and beautiful ceremonial space for the 22nd Biennale. Re(cul)naissance honours precolonial kinship systems, using natural light to shun western religious beliefs of bringing 'light' to colonised nations; instead, this work fully embraces Indigenous practices that are 'considered deviant by western missionaries'. The work specifically interacts with Smoan and other Indigenous concepts, namely 'mlamalama the process of enlightenment through paying attention to symbiotic p (the origin of the universe), lagi (multiple heavens) and other kin animals. The space and video performance openly explores multiple genders and sexualities in an engaging way that offers up a future 'free of colonial shame'.

Eshrgh collaborated with artists Tommy Misa, Sereima Adimate and Kiliati Pahulu on this project.

French artist Laure Prouvost's Biennale artwork is potentially the most unsettling of the bunch. Into All That Is Here With The Two Cockatoo Too is a site-specific work that uses the entirety of the island's Dog Leg Tunnel. Within the dark tunnel, Prouvost provides an immersive experience that touches many senses and mimics the 'daily flow of images and texts that assail us'. Think of it as content overload, while trying to traverse a house of horrors. You'll hear whispers throughout the tunnel, and one of those voices may just be the artist herself who at times will be lurking in the shadows and encouraging you to sit with her. Further in, the tunnel begins to 'wind' as constructed black curtains make you weave in-and-out, which starts to feel endless. Needless to say, you better not be afraid of the dark for this one.

Top image: Hannah Catherine Jones 'Ode to Diaspora'; photograph: Zan Wimberley

Published on March 16, 2020 by Marissa Ciampi

Excerpt from:
Ten Highlights of the 22nd Biennale of Sydney 2020 - Concrete Playground

Wireless charging technology being trialled outside Nottingham train station may offer a glimpse of the future for electric vehicles

In 2020 it feels safe to assume most people are by now familiar with battery-powered cars, even if only a few have actually ever driven one. There are, after all, more than 270,000 plug-in vehicles on UK roads, and the EV charging points dotted across the country now outnumber petrol stations.

But, how about an EV that forgoes physically plugging into a power supply, and instead charges up its battery wirelessly, simply by briefly parking over a panel on the floor?

To some in the green tech world it may sound like the latest inevitable milestone in fast-moving technological progress which has already seen cars drive themselves hundreds of miles across the UK. But for many people, drawing energy up through the road to power a car no doubt looks and sounds like a futuristic piece of sci-fi kit, most likely to be found on the streets of Silicon Valley.

Yet such technology is far from futuristic - it's operating right now. And you do not have to cross the Atlantic to find it. Instead, the pioneering system is to be found at a train station in Nottingham.

In the coming weeks, a six month pilot is set to kick-off which will see 10 electric taxis charging up just outside Nottingham station via five specially-designed 'pads' installed on the ground, thanks to 3.4m of funding from the government. The project is being carried out via Innovation Gateway, a coalition of organisations set up to share knowledge and innovations to help reduce costs and environmental impacts from the built environment.

The charging technology is situated within a taxi rank, and therefore ring-fenced solely for use by the 10 specially-modified taxis, made up of a combination of LEVC TX electric black cabs - which have now become an everyday sight on the streets of London - and Nissan ENV200 models.

Similar trials have already taken place in other parts of Europe, while in the UK electric car charging tech firm Char.gy last year secured2.3m from the government to deploy wireless charging on residential streets in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, and the London Borough of Redbridge, in collaboration with Open University and the University of Warwick. But Nottingham train station marks the first major test of its kind for wireless on-the-go charging in the UK, explains Wayne Bexton, head of energy services at Nottingham City Council.

"It's quite straightforward," he tells BusinessGreen. "There's already charging infrastructure on the roadside. It's just added hardware which goes into the ground, so the vehicles pull over, and their batteries are topped up using electromagnetic, wireless charging. Part of the trial is to find out how long it takes to top up the battery to the level required by the drivers."

Indeed, the trial is not just an opportunity to show off flashy tech for the sake of it. The idea, Bexton explains, is to capture data on how cab drivers use the technology, and what kind of benefits it can bring to them, their customers, and the wider use of roads in the city. Indeed, wireless charging will not be suitable for all types and uses of electric vehicles, but for busy cab drivers, a very quick top-up charge between trips could keep their cars going for longer throughout the day without the fear of losing out on business when the battery runs low.

"It could potentially boost a taxi driver's earning potential, as these wireless chargers at the taxi rank allow them to recharge while they're waiting for passengers," Bexton says. "It facilitates shorter, more frequent charging, and benefits vehicles with smaller batteries. It also helps remove some of that so-called 'range anxiety' which has been referred to even by some of the cab drivers committed to taking part of the trial, suggesting there is some nervousness about how long they can drive for, and how many pickups they can do. So I think this technology should hopefully just give them reassurance that running out of battery power isn't going to be an issue."

It may offer a glimpse of the future, but wireless charging perhaps does not yet offer a straight-swap for traditional EV charging via a plug and adaptor, so do not expect to see the technology appearing on household driveways and carparks right across the country any time too soon. That is because it takes longer to charge up a battery wirelessly, which is why it is being tested for top-up taxi charging. Rough early estimates, which the trial is in large part designed to more accurately refine, indicate an 11kWh charging pad might take up to three hours to charge up an EV battery from empty to full, or 4.5 hours for a 7kWh pad, according to Nottingham City Council.

Nevertheless, if the trial proves a hit, the Council hopes to keep the charging panels in place at the taxi rank for the foreseeable future. And, as the technology improves, it potentially offers an efficient top-up solution for electric buses to reduce their downtime, as well as for EV drivers who live in properties without their own garage or driveway from which to directly plug into their mains, explains Bexton.

"It's proven technology, but the trials are aimed at finding out how it actually works on the roads, which could maybe pave the way for more of these, maybe even making them available to members of the public as EV adoption increases," he explains. "If it does work, if someone is going to the shops, they could perhaps leave their vehicle in a parking bay where they could wirelessly top up the battery power with these electromagnetic chargers. Or, when you think about people living in apartments and flats who may not be able to have an opportunity to have a charger themselves, they're going to need the public network to support them owning an EV. So it's these kinds of innovations that I think can help that transition."

It is far from Nottingham's only green transport initiative. With the Council having set an ambitious target to become a carbon neutral city in 2028, it is now publicly consulting on an action plan to get there, and is already well on the way after slashing CO2 emissions by 41 per cent since 2005.

It has already been making significant strides towards reducing traffic and emissions on the roads, too, which Bexton concedes make up a "chunky" part of Nottingham's CO2. Yet thanks to investments in public transport and the city's tram network, as well as around 6m of low carbon vehicle project funding via the government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) initiative, Nottingham has managed to keep traffic and air pollution relatively under control where other similar sized UK cities have often struggled. And it is right into these wider carbon neutrality efforts from the Council that the wireless taxi driving trial slots in.

"It's a case of bringing the taxi drivers on that journey as they are critical for the city's infrastructure," Bexton says. "Other cities have seen a rise in emissions from transport, but we in Nottingham have seen it stay level, which is good."

As is now common sense across the green economy, Nottingham's low transport efforts also link up closely with its policies for energy, of which 24 per cent in the city now comes from local, renewable energy. To take just a handful of examples, there are 5,000 domestic and 60 commercial scale solar PV installations across the city, in addition to the UK's largest district heating network which currently serves 5,000 homes and 150 commercial businesses with excess heat from an energy-from-waste incinerator.

It has not been easy pursuing an ambitious decarbonisation agenda over a decade which has seen council budgets severely squeezed, Bexton acknowledges, but he says the various initiatives have been possible thanks to such strong support from Nottingham residents.

"The whole agenda has been massively embraced," he says. "I think we're starting to see huge interest and enthusiasm for this agenda and the desire to do the right thing across citizens and businesses in Nottingham. We're seeing that shift in people's day-to-day behaviours, and some of the requests that come into the Council around environmental issues. People are a lot more knowledgeable on this agenda than they ever have been, which is great. It really does mean we can get on and support that across the city."

If the wireless electric taxi trial proves a success, cab drivers could be yet another section Nottingham's population who have been won over to the city's ambitious carbon neutral agenda.

This article was sponsored by Innovation Gateway

Read the original:
Four to the floor: Why Nottingham cabbies are at the forefront of EV innovation - http://www.businessgreen.com

Published by Mike Draper at 5:48am 12th March 2020. (Updated at 6:09am 12th March 2020)

An additional 30 full-time and part-time jobs will also be created, including bar staff, kitchen staff and cleaning team members, when The King's Head Inn reopens.

The pub and hotel, in Bridge Street, which first opened as a Wetherspoon in July 2002, is undergoing a refurbishment project. It's been almost 6 years since The King's Head Inn and hotel was last refurbished, at a cost of more than 1m.

The work will include a full redecoration of the pub, with new flooring installed throughout, as well as refurbishment to the seating.

Behind the scenes, improvements to the kitchen area will take place, new glass racks and back bar decoration installed.

The refit will also see improvements to the order and pay operation. The pub's known for its often long and slow queues for place orders at bar during busy times.

Pub manager Robert Stephens told Spire FM News:

"Wetherspoon is spending 525,000 on the pub, providing further substantial investment into the area, as well as creating 30 new jobs for local people."

"Myself and my team will look forward to welcoming customers back into The King's Head Inn, in April, and we are confident that they will be impressed by the new look pub."

Staff from The King's Head have be deployed to other Wetherspoon pubs in the region, during the 33-day closure for the work, and will return for the reopening.

Link:
New look Salisbury Wetherspoon to create more jobs - Spire FM

Since being introduced to the Australian market in 2016, Life Floor has gained increasing recognition for its performance and a growing list of significant installations.

Designed specifically for wet areas including pool surrounds, waterparks, splash pads, change rooms and showers where people are barefoot, Life Floor offers industry-leading traction, comfort, durability and infinite design possibilities.

Made from closed-cell foam, the Life Floor surface is slip-resistant without being abrasive and is available in different textures, thicknesses, and colour options.

Life Floor tiles are non-absorbent, which means the tiles will not absorb water, are chemical resistant, and do not support the growth of microbes.

Moreover, Life Floors safety credentials are unmatched, as proven by Life Floor becoming the first aquatic safety surface in the world certified to the new NSF/ANSI-50 Standard for Safety Surfacing in Interactive Water Play Areas.

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is a global independent public health and environmental organisation, while the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) oversees the consensus for developing standards for manufacturing and procedures in the United States.

According to the USAs National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, in 2014 alone, there were an estimated 20,000 injuries on pool decks, splash pads and water parks resulting in an emergency room visit.

Introduced in the USA in the middle of last year after years of research, testing and careful evaluation, Life Floor Chief Executive, Jonathan Keller explains the safety revolution that transformed dry playgrounds is long overdue for splash pads.

With the new NSF/ANSI 50 standard in place, operators will be able to reduce injuries and keep splash pads open, providing fun for their communities all summer long.

After nearly a decade of designing, testing, and building aquatic surfaces, we have been proud to contribute to the process of creating these new safety requirements.

The surface is an indispensable part of the play value, and overall experience of the splash pad and thats why were committed to designing the safest, most beautiful splash pad surfaces using only products engineered exclusively for aquatic play.

In addition, Life Floor has also completed a landmark installation in the Splashers Kids Play Area within the Aquaventure waterpark at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.

Life Floor was able to offer its durability in terms of UV stability, chemical resistance, and impermeability.

Eureka Swimming Pool, Victoria190 metre outdoor beach entry toddlers wading pool.

With the previous ceramic tiles leading into the pool causing slip and fall incidents, they were removed (along with layers of paint) and replaced with a Life Floor surface.

Now means children and parents can comfortably play and relax on the soft surface and slip and fall injuries are a thing of the past.

November 2018 by Maurer Construction Tiling.

Shawn's Swim School, Victoria190 metre pool deck.

Installed early January 2018 by Maurer Construction Tiling & G Burgess.

Australia Zoo, Sunshine Coast, Queensland220 metre water feature/splash pad.10mm Ripple. Lilypad and Bluebird.

Installed March 2018 by G. Burgess.

Griffith Regional Aquatic Leisure Centre, NSW9 metre spa deck. 10mm Ripple. Colour is Kingfisher.

Installed March 2018 by Total Creations & Services and G Burgess.

Julia Creek Swimming Pool, Queensland160 metre splash pad. 5mm Ripple in three colours: Bluebird, Iceberg, and Porcelain.

Installed November 2017 by Gibbons Constructions, Townsville.

Waterworld Geelong, Victoria3 metre shower base 5mm Ripple in Boulevard installed to an outdoor poolside shower where the MMA non-slip coating applied over ceramic tiles was peeling.

Installed October 2017 by Maurer Construction Tiling

Gawler Aquatic Centre, South Australia60 metre beach entry toddlers pool heated to 32C. 5mm Ripple in Bluebird, Aviator, and Turquoise. The previous pebble surface was slippery.

Installed September 2018 by Maurer Construction Tiling and State Wide Pool Services.

Heathers Swim School, Victoria93 metre pool deck. 10mm Ripple in Mojave and Sepia.

Replacing an existing painted concrete surface that was very slippery.

Installed January 2019 by Maurer Construction Tiling and G Burgess.

Sugarworld Waterpark, Queensland750 metre waterpark. 10mm Ripple in Ocean, Bluebird, and Aviator.

The previous Polysoft surface, which was delaminating, was totally removed, and the concrete was prepared by grinding prior to the installation of Life Floor.

Installed August 2019 by Grassports (Queensland), G Maurer, and C Dennett.

Aquarena, Geraldton, Western Australia35 metre beach entry to the indoor leisure pool. 10mm Ripple in Ocean and Aviator.

Installed 2nd September 2019 by Sport & Recreation Surfaces and Maurer Construction Tiling

Big4 Tweed Billabong Holiday Park, Tweed Heads, NSW33 metre splash pad. 10mm Ripple in Bluebird and Aviator.

The painted concrete surface was causing injuries. It was prepared by grinding.

Installed September 2019 by Grassports Australia (QLD).

Goolgowi Swimming Pool, NSW60 metre beach entry wading pool. 10mm Ripple in Aviator.

New build. Installed November 2019 by Total Creations & Services. Griffith.

Cootamundra Swimming Pool. NSW135 metre splash pad. 10mm Ripple in Ocean, Bluebird and Aviator.

New build. Installed December 2019 by Total Creations & Services. Griffith.

Sunshine Leisure Centre, Victoria190 metre splash pad. 10mm Ripple in Ocean, Bluebird and Aviator.

Installed December 2019 by Maurer Construction Tiling.

Aquaventure, Atlantis The Palm, DubaiLife Floor has also completed a landmark installation in the Splashers Kids Play Area within the Aquaventure waterpark at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai.

Atlantis was drawn to Life Floor as a result of its one-of-a-kind surface design using triangles and gradient colours to create a shoreline effect. Coupled with its durability in terms of UV stability, chemical resistance, and impermeability Life Floor, working with its partner in the UAE, Raymond Sport, was able to create another world-class experience for Atlantis guests.

As a result, Olivia Wyrick, Director of Aquaventure Operations, stated hands down, one of the best products you can use to allow kids to be kids.

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7th December 2019 - Doncaster Aquarena passes 50 years of operations

24th October 2019 - Life Floor surface installed at North Queensland waterpark

24th May 2019 - New rides to open as part of expansion of Dubais Atlantis Aquaventure

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15th April 2019 - Australia Zoo partnership to deliver multi-million-dollar camping experience

8th June 2018 - WhiteWater and Life Floor enter exclusive agreement to deliver non-slip cushioned surfaces

1st May 2018 - Manningham City Council awards Aquarena management contract to Belgravia Leisure

25th February 2018 - Childrens play must include good risk

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1st August 2013 - Sport NZ releases guidelines for aquatic flooring surfaces

16th June 2013 - Global innovations to be unveiled at Dubais Aquaventure Waterpark

22nd July 2009 - Polin Compact Slide now available for Australia market

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Life Floor gains growing recognition as preferred safety surface for splash pads and pool surrounds - Australasian Leisure Management

German choreographer Claudia Bosses performance art-installation hybridthe last IDEAL PARADISEimmerses the audience in a narrative that relishes in being uncomfortable to experience.

Performed on Feb. 26, 28 and 29 at the State Film Production Companys (PFN) studio in East Jakarta, the Asian premiere ofthe last IDEAL PARADISEis a site-specific work, being completely tailored around the old studio and surrounding buildings in the complex.

Visitors first enter the exhibition space through the door of a building that does not, at all, indicate that it is the host of an art exhibition.

A far cry from the sleek and glossy surfaces of typical art galleries, the old PFN building was not altered in any way to mask its age and grittiness. Lighting was dim in some parts, while air conditioning units were only available in a few rooms, making it rather uncomfortable to experience on a humid afternoon.

But more uncomfortable were the installations themselves, with old medical photos and decapitated mannequin heads showcased alongside narrations describing beheadings in a terrorism context.

A few performers dotted the exhibition space, unmoving yet at times making briefeye contact with the audience, which contributed to the eerie feeling of the space.

Beyond the exhibition space was the studio itself, where performers stood in the relative darkness. While viewers do get to stand in the dim light, the soundtrack played was a constant deep yet sharp breathing, with smoke intermittently pumped in accordingly.

At two-and-a-half hours in length, the performance itself was initially relatively restrained, but performers slowly enter the audience space and become increasingly frantic in movement, which at first glance seems nonsensical.

Dividing: The two-and-a-half hour performance involves audience participation, or rather the audience is made part of the work. (Goethe-Institut Indonesien/-)

A break in the performance saw the performers walk outside the studio, which elicited applause from the audience, who believed it to be over. However, the performance went on, taking the audience on a walk through the complex between abandonedbuildings, while a woman spoke of gruesome imagerylike beheadings and the like.

The second part of the performance sawperformers and the audience return tothe studio, with the former further encroaching on the latters space by spreading out tarps on the floor that forced the audience to move constantly so as to avoid stepping on the fabric.

Toward the end, the performers went into a frenzy,kicking the tarp wildly andthrashing about, withthe piece finally brought to a closewith a solemn speech on issues like capitalism and racism.

Bosse noted that she wanted the audience to experience an artistic way of understanding the spatial and political constellations they are a part of.

Critically, it is a commentary on territory and terrorism at the same time, while examining the idea of Europe and its democracy as a sort of promised land.

The content ofthe last IDEAL PARADISEincludes imagery of harrowing sociopolitical situations, such as footage from the 2015 European migrant crisis, but also biblical themes like one room dedicated to the Revelation to John and its narrative of the Apocalypse.

Splayed: The work, which is site-specific, explores political constellations and issues of terrorism. (Goethe-Institut Indonesien/-)

the last IDEAL PARADISEis actually one part of theIDEAL PARADISEseries, which itself is the last chapter of the long-term(katastrophen 11/15) ideal paradiseprojectthat started in 2013 and ended in 2017.

The first stage of theIDEAL PARADISEseries itself was built upon Bosses long-term project with sound artist Gnther Auer,some democratic fictions. The work which began in 2011 and ended in 2015 tookthe form of interviews with artists, activists and lawyers from 10 cities including New York, Cairo, Tel Aviv and Brussels on the political situations of the time.

Before making its way to Jakarta,the last IDEAL PARADISEhad been performed several times since its world premiere at Forum Freies Theater (FFT)Dsseldorf in 2016, including three performances at the Tanzplattform 2018 in Essen, Germany.

Bosse, the artistic director of the Vienna-based company theatercombinat, said that the work itself did not travel or tour per se, but rather she worked with the space to provide more context to the work.

I normally dont tour, because my works cannot tour. [...] Im always really happy and curious when someone invites me to do a version for a certain context of my work, but I cannot tour. Its never the same piece, as I need the time, the context and the people.

Initially, Bosse was looking for a space that had to do with the history of Germany while also simultaneously a place in decay. In the end, she was content with the PFN studio for its layers of history.

I find it quite interesting with the film studio, because I feel a lot of the national narrative was produced here and also a lot of political propaganda, she said, adding that the studio had a lot to do with the production of the Indonesian imagination.

According to Bosse, the format of the work made it so that the audience experienced the installation beforehand to get a certain understanding of the material, but the viewers independence also allowed them to beresponsible for what they saw.

With the performance over, you can visit the installation again, but I think the order made sense because I wouldnt work [give the performance] and then tell them to look at the installation, because I think youd be too excited to look at being situated with other bodies because you cannot concentrate.

Bosse said she felt the location in which an artwork was displayed or performed contained certain contexts that could influence the work. In an art gallery, she continued, the context was safe, but elements in the space were inscriptions of history, and could transpose with objects and sound, in which case the audience could see both.

You should make visible the context, which is a partner of a work.

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the last IDEAL PARADISE: An immersive performance-installation with a chilling subject - The Jakarta Post - Jakarta Post

We know that installing car seats isnt exactly the sexiest of topics but its an important one. Most customers old enough to afford BMWs have children they need to cram into their cars. So knowing which cars are easiest to install car seats into, or which have the best car seat features, is important. Which is why this guide to BMW X7 car seats from Cars.com is great.

The BMW X7 is the brands first, true seven-passenger SUV, with a dedicated third row of seating. So the Bavarians would be forgiven if they didnt think of everything, when developing three rows of seating. Yet, despite the inexperience, BMW crushed the practicality aspect of the X7. Not only does it have three rows of seats but both the second and third row are more than capable of housing car seats. Though, not at the same time.

In the second row, its easy as pie to get a couple of child car seats in. The LATCH mechanisms are easy to use and while the anchor points for the second row is on the floor behind them typically less than ideal theyre clearly marked and easy to see. Also, the door openings are big and wide, which makes physically getting the car seat into the car easy. Not only that but its also easy to get a child through the door and into the seat.

As for the third row, there are also LATCH points and rear anchor points but the seats are obviously smaller than in the second row. Still, its possible to fit car seats in the third row and adults in the second row, so long as second row passengers are willing to scooch forward. Thankfully, the second row of seats slides forward.

Overall, the BMW X7 is the most practical car in the brands lineup, which isnt too surprising considering its also the biggest. However, it also features a lot of clever features that prove the Bavarians put a ton of thought into families using it. During my week with it last year, I noted how excellent of a family vehicle it was, you can check that out here.

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How is the BMW X7 for Fitting Car Seats into? - BMWBLOG

We are familiar with the designers of estudioHerreros due to their close relationship with the world of art. Their contributions include the new Munch Museum in Oslo that will open this year, the makeover of the public spaces in the MALBA Museum in Buenos Aires, the CarrerasMugica art gallery in Bilbao, the SOLO Museum and the refurbishment of the exhibition rooms at the Reina Sofa Museum in Madrid, as well as a series of projects for galleries, exhibitions, art fairs and art studios of artists like Luis Gordillo.Added to all of that is their work at ARCOmadrid, Madrids International Contemporary Art Fair. ARCO is considered to be one of the most important modern art events on the international circuit and it is held every February in the Spanish capital. estudioHerreros and ARCOmadrid go way back to 2009 when the architects were responsible for setting up the fair and designing the VIP rooms of three editions. Antoni Muntadas and Juan Herreros have collaborated for even longer - about 15 years. Muntadas, a multidisciplinary installation and media artist and Herreros, founder and partner of estudioHerreros have held workshops and conferences together and have jointly published several conversations with third parties in the public space.In his artwork called Palabras..., Antoni Muntadas explores the written words losing battle against the image. The project by Muntadas is a work in progress about the power of words, their meaning and their transformation into what are sometimes watered-down images, while we end up not even knowing what they really mean. Nowadays, the use and abuse of certain words have brought about a decline in their social value and the artists project triggers a reflection about language by transforming selected words into images. The procedure refers to decisions based on the ontology, semiotics, typesetting and translation of these terms, showcasing the erosion of their meaning in a visual breakdown.Invited by El Pas for ARCOmadrid 2020, Muntadas came up with a version of his project that takes into account the context and includes terms that he hadnt used before in the Words... project. Terms that refer directly to the media, like Opinion, Objectivity, Fake News, Responsibility. The number of words depends on the exhibition space available. At ARCOmadrid, he also used the same typeset as El Pas, whose logo has been a kind of icon in the collective unconscious of the printed word since the newspaper was founded in 1976.The artist worked with the architect Juan Herreros to design and build a temporary structure to accommodate Palabras..., creating a specific display for the occasion. Juan Herreros, who founded estudioHerreros and runs it with Jens Richter has, in this case, transformed the artwork into a three-dimensional experience: the words were transferred onto canvases hung directly onto the architectural partitions. By moving around the zigzagged wall, visitors are treated to a sequence of perceptions leading to the discovery, overlap and contrast of the images/words, and accentuating their meaning, all through the geometry of the proposal.The width of the support and its carefully selected grey background - the grey of the dihedral walls forming the space is the same as the grey of the polished concrete floor to make it as neutral as possible, and the grey of the lighter, freestanding exhibition partition contrasts with the black and white of the artwork - as well as the formalization filled with urban allusions refer to the materials of the city and the industrial feel of the pavilion housing the installation. Palabras is the output of art and architecture working side-by-side and this boosts the impact of the work on exhibition through the visitors spatial experience.

Christiane Brklein

Project: estudioHerreros forAntoni MuntadasLocation: Madrid, SpainYear: 2020Images: estudioherreros

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Installation of estudioHerreros for the Words project by Antoni Muntadas | Livegreenblog - Floornature.com

Pics by: Justin D'Silva/Devdas Kamath

Daijiworld Media Network Udupi (HB)

Udupi, Mar 16: Renovation of Suttu Pauli and Reinstallation of Parivara Devarus (gods) of Sri Lakshmi Venkatesha temple located at Thenkapete Udupi, was held with religious grandeur on Sunday, March 15.

All the religious rituals were held with the presence of Srimad Sayyamindra Theertha of Kashi Math. He was welcomed by secretary of the temple P V Shenoy with Poorna kumba.

Swamiji offered Poornahuthi to Vishnuyaga and offered mangalarathi. Later he performed reinstallation of Gods at the temple.

Religious ritual Vishnuyaga was performed with the direction of priest Srikanth Bhat and priest's team consisting of Chempi Ramachandra Ananth Bhat, Jagadishs Bhat, Thrivikrama Bhat, Ravindra Bhat and Vinayak Bhat.

Mattar Vasanth Kini, member of temple administrative board extended his cooperation for the completion of this mahotsava.

All rituals commenced right from early morning. Religious rituals began with Guruganapathi Poojana and continued in the form of Kalasha poojana, Avahitha Devatha poojana, Panchamrithabhisheka, Shathakal-abhisheka, Kanakabhisheka, Gangajalabhisheka , Yajna mantapa, Punah Prathishtapanga Havana, Bali pradana and Prayashchitha Havana.

Sayyamindra Theertha Swamiji offered Poornahuthi to yaga, prasanna pooje, dwara pooje of Parivara devaru, Godana, Panchapala dana and so on.

Muzarai minister Kota Srinivas Poojary, Udupi MLA Raghupati Bhat, BJP district president Kuylady Suresh Nail, senior bjp leader Somashekhar Bhat, Rohithaksha Padiyara, Pundalika Kamath, Kailashnath Shenoy, Devdas Pai, Narayana Prabhu, Ashok Baliga, Umesh Pai. Suresh Nayak, Shantharam Shanbagh, Subrahmanya Pai, GSB women and youth members were present on the occasion.

Hundreds of devotees sought the blessings of God.

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Udupi: Re-installation of Gods of Sri Lakshmi Venkatesha temple held with grandeur - Daijiworld.com